10-24-08
Tricks and Treats for Chicago Theatre
The Witching Season is upon us. (Quick! Somebody call Sarah Palin’s minister!) And so fittingly enough, there are many comings and goings, openings and closings to note in this time of transition.
There may not be any tricks, but Steppenwolf has gotten a couple of tasty treats this October. In addition to the Non-profit Finance Fund’s million dollars (see story, page 1), the theatre also bagged $600,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of a new-plays commissioning initiative. The money is designated to help expand the company’s First Look Repertory of New Work.
Steppenwolf’s “Traffic” series brings in A Sandra Bernhard Halloween, starring the angular and mouthy Ms. B. Two shows only on Monday, Oct. 27. Audience members are encouraged to come in costume.
Chopin Theatre not only serves as a rental facility for some of the hottest companies in town (the Hypocrites, TUTA, Oobleck), but also provides a rare opportunity to sample solo work from Europe and beyond in I-Fest. This year’s festival includes Yasser by Moroccan-born, Netherlands-residing author Abdelkader Benali, performed by Egyptian-Sudanese-Turkish actor (and current UK resident) William El-Gardi, which traces the conflicts faced by a young Palestinian actor preparing to play Shylock. Russian creator Oleg Liptsin and Taiwanese artist Ai-Cheng Ho will perform A Propos of the Wet Snow, based on Dostoevsky’s “Notes From Underground.” There will be two post-show panel discussions after Wet Snow. On Nov. 2, Liptsin, Gardi and Teunkie van der Slujis will be joined by Columbia College’s Brian Shaw to discuss preparing a one-person show for Edinburgh. A week later, on Nov. 9, the same group will be joined by Chicago journalist and comedian Ray Hanania on a panel called “Shakespeare Meets the Middle East.” The mini-UN of experimental theatre runs Oct. 28-Nov. 9 . A complete schedule is at www.chopintheatre.com.
Steep Theatre has said so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye to their teeny old space next to the honky-tonk bar on North Sheridan and wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Berwyn—Berwyn Street, that is. Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 30, the company will be performing at 1115 W. Berwyn. The new digs open with a world premiere by Chicago playwright and Steep company member Egan Reich. Reich’s Seven Days combines the biblical story of creation with contemporary Western “cowboy diplomacy” and Shepardian Old West rhythms. With 70 seats and better amenities for performers and audiences alike, the new theatre is a great gift for fans of this innovative ensemble.
Provision Theater goes back to the future with their production of The Adventure of Captain Marbles and His Acting Squad, first created way back in 1964 at the Hull House Theatre by the late John Stasey. Composer/lyricist Alaric Jans worked in the 1970s with St. Nicholas regulars William H. Macy and David Kovacs to update Stasey’s original concept (which featured an absent-minded Captain, his peripatetic fuzzy red marbles, and an assortment of other archetypes, including a ballerina, a witch, and an astronaut). The three amigos have revamped the Captain for a new generation and they have their collective eyes on an off-Broadway run in 2009—which may make this show the one with the longest gestation period ever between Chicago and New York. Jans, whose work is often heard at Chicago Shakespeare, appears as “Rocko,” the onstage pianist, in Tim Gregory’s production, presented in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Storefront, Nov. 1-Dec. 14.
A few tricks to report as well: Azusa Productions cancelled A Moveable Feast of Words, Chapter 3, which was to feature adaptations of poems and stories by H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, due to “unforeseen circumstances.” (Well, certainly Poe and Lovecraft could tell you all about those!) And Gentry on State has closed its doors. Manager Dan Pienta confirmed that the venerable cabaret and piano bar, founded in 1983 by Alden Jones and originally housed on Rush Street, had ceased operations as of Aug. 25 of this year. The location at 440 N. State had been in operation since 1997, with subsequent owner David Edwards overseeing the joint up until his death in 2005, but for now, it’s “on hiatus,” and sadly, not likely to return.
Another sad note: Thomas Goodman, longtime producer and founder of the defunct, but highly influential, CrossCurrents cabaret at Belmont and Sheffield, passed away on Sept. 26 from a massive heart attack at age 53. Annoyance Theatre founder Mick Napier, the late improv guru Del Close, and comedian Aaron Freeman were among those who could be counted as regulars at CrossCurrents during its heyday. (The latter said in Lewis Lazare’s Sun-Times obit of Sept. 30 that “Tom created me.”) Goodman also brought in cabaret legend Karen Mason and Frank and Malachy McCourt’s A Couple of Blaguards before the elder McCourt brother struck literary gold with Angela’s Ashes. (Our friend Mary Shen Barnidge also recalls that CrossCurrents was ahead of the current in offering on-site babysitting services for patrons.) Goodman closed the club in the mid-1980s and spent the rest of his career as a legal publisher with Illinois Legal Times and later Corporate Legal Times, and had also moved into filmmaking in recent years. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Stage Left announces a casting change for its season opener, Gina Gionfriddo’s After Ashley. Robert Skrocki has left due to illness. Mike Rogalski now plays the role of David in the dark comedy. And Red Tape Theatre announces an extension of its hit play, Dog in a Manger, written and directed by artistic director James Palmer, which now runs through Nov. 1.
Got jars? Then Teatro Luna wants to talk to you! The company is looking for glass jars of all sizes and shapes for Tanya Saracho’s world premiere of Jarred: A Hoodoo Comedy. To arrange pickup, e-mail info@teatroluna.org, and just put “JARS” in the subject line.
SAG wants your blood. The Fourth Annual SAG Blood Drive takes place on Oct. 27 at KMRC, 1 E. Erie, Ste. 650, from 1-7 p.m.
But it’s not all take, take, take. Finish up your Halloween season by checking out the treats at the Chicago Artists Resource, the DCA’s website that provides information on a range of opportunities—including space, education, business advice, career promotion, and more—for artists of all stripes. Check it out at www.chicagoartistsresource.org.
And don’t forget to be resourceful and send tips and tirades to kerryreid@comcast.net.